


1372

by dont_need_me



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Fucked Up Shit, Getting Back Together, Harm to Children, Human Experimentation, Kidnapping, M/M, Mutants, Original Character(s), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rehabilitation, Slow Burn, Superhusbands (Marvel)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-05-16 10:46:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14809884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dont_need_me/pseuds/dont_need_me
Summary: Three years, eleven months and twenty two days. That's how long Steve Rogers was trapped in the hellhole with the kid, suffering through experimental science day in and day out. For a little more than half of that time the world thought he was dead. Nobody knew the truth but his captors and the Kid. She was his only hope. There was no means of getting back to Tony without her, and that meant doing what the scientists planned to do with her in the first place.He'd have to use her as a weapon.





	1. 1372 - New York City

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a non linear story. I will make it clear as to where in the story a chapter takes place in the notes the chapter title.

He was worried about the Kid. She hadn’t said anything in hours. He wondered if the levity of what they had done occurred to her. He doubted that it did. He could feel her shivering against his back, her grip on his shoulders and waist were too tight for her to be asleep. It was raining, and late. The clock outside of a subway station had told him it was three am. That had been eight blocks ago. He wondered what month it was, as it was certainly too cold to be August as he had thought. Steve knew they had to be a sight, and was glad for the late hour. He’d found them clothes as soon as he possibly could. None of them matched, or did much to protect them from the cold, which seemed to be everywhere he turned lately. The kid looked odd outside of the white hospital style gown, he’d never seen her in anything else. Somehow she looked even thinner, she was by no means healthy.

“ _I’m scared_.” Her tiny voice in his head. Her little hand palm down on the skin of his shoulder. This is how they’d communicated for the past three years, eleven months and twenty two days.

“ I am too.” Steve said, aloud. He wasn’t sure if he could walk much further. They were in the city, not twelve blocks away from Stark Tower. Steve wondered if it was the fear or exhaustion compelling him to duck into a stoop and let the kid off his back.

“Can you walk?” She nodded her head ‘yes’ and slipped her hand into his. The kid looks worse than he does, with his too long, too dirty hair and beard, his too thin body, he looked homeless. But the kid? The stress of the last week and a half was heavy in her. She was just as dirty and emaciated as he, her hair was a wild, matted mess on her head.She looked like death walking. She looked like she was ready to lay down and die. Steve wasn’t sure if he’d survive that. He was doing everything in his power to make this transition easy for her, all the wile knowing nothing on earth could possibly change the fact that this world was nothing she’d ever seen before. She had no place in it. Technically she didn’t even exist. They weren’t even sure how old she was. She was either small for her age or incredibly intelligent, it was hard to tell.

“ _What if they find us?_ ” An involuntary shiver ran down Steve’s spine.

“They won’t.” He knew that for a fact. They’d killed every last one of them. Every single one. That was the way it had to be. There was no chance of surviving if any one of them had remained alive. “We’re almost there. We have to keep going.”

The Kid sighed deeply. She was too small to make such a tired sound. It crushed him. If only he’d been able to save her sooner. If only he’d been able to save her at all. She’d done all of the saving. He wasn’t sure he’d ever forgive himself for asking her to, but there really wasn’t another way. If he hadn’t they’d still be there, locked up like test animals. He pulled her along with him as they trudged through the rain. Twelve blocks. Twelve blocks to warmth. To food and shelter and medicine and an actual bed. Twelve blocks to Tony.

Steve was shaking too, by time those twelve blocks were up. He was worrying the Kid now, her anxiety shot up through him, he had to let go of her hand.

“You’re doing it again,” He said, putting one hand on the base of Stark Tower, leaning over to throw up. She stuck to him like a magnet, but didn’t touch his skin. He finished vomiting, and he took her hand again. They stood outside the tower, looking up at it. Tony was in there. Tony loved him. Had loved him. Tony thought he was dead. It took two and a half years, but Tony, like everyone else, had given up. They’d buried an empty coffin and put his name on a grave stone. Steve knew, because they’d put him in front of a screen and forced him to watch it. He remembered hearing the Kid’s gurgled noises of pain in the next room. He remembered wishing they were forcing him to watch them run their experiments on her rather than what was on the screen in front of him.

“ _I’m sorry_ ,” her voice in his head again. “ _I didn’t mean to_.” She knocked him out of his thoughts. He looked down at her. She was soaked, shaking visibly. Her little arm looked more like a stick poking out of the sleeve of her shirt. He knew that he had to do this for her. His own interests weren’t what mattered anymore. He had to take care of her. She had no one else. Steve stepped up to the door. His hand shook as he wrapped it around the handle. He felt the familiar minute vibration as it read his finger prints. For a moment cold dread filled him. Had Tony taken him out of the system? It was certainly a possibility, especially since he was presumed dead. He’d been anxious for nothing. The door clicked open. Warmth seeped out of the doorway. He was home.

 

                                                                                                            - - - - -

 

Things hadn’t changed much. Steve picked the Kid up as he walked, she was falling asleep on her feet, going too slow. He needed to see them. His team, familiar faces. It’d been so long since he’d spoken to anybody that wasn’t twelve or trying to kill him. He got in the elevator and pressed the button for the communal floor. It all felt alien to him. It didn’t feel real. He was prepared to wake up at any moment and still be in that windowless white room, sleeping on the floor, the Kid burrowed into his side. Maybe this was a next development? Maybe the last test they’d run had wrung out anther development in the terrifying power possessed in those tiny hands. That thought came to an end when the elevator opened, however. The common room was empty. Steve practically ran to the kitchen, when he set the kid down in a stool he was nearly out of breath. There was a pizza box on the counter. He opened it, there were four large New York style slices of cheese pizza. He tore off a piece of the pie and shoved it at the Kid, who had it in her mouth before he had a chance to blink. He couldn’t blame her, as he stuffed a piece into his own mouth he thought he might cry. It was so good. Who knew food could be so good? The Kid was just finishing her piece as he was grabbing his second when she jumped off the stool and clumg to him, cowering behind his legs. She raised a hand, and reflexively he shoved it down, turning quickly to follow her eye-line to see-

“ Who the hell are you? How did you get in here? Jarvis? How did these two-“ Steve couldn’t speak. Tony looked tired. He stood there, in a grease stained shirt, chipped coffee mug in hand, fury in his face. The features smoothed, then wrinkled again. This time with confusion.

“Tony?” his voice was broken, and the Kid was grabbing at him, trying to get a hold of his hand, of his wrist, anything so she could make contact. He bent over and scooped her up. He took a few steps closer, wanting to reach out and touch him. Tony backed away, rubbing his face and eyes, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Steve saw his eyes fill with tears.

“Am I losing it? Oh my god I’m losing it, I can’t — are you really standing there?” The pizza felt too heavy in Steve's stomach. He was going to lose it any second, he knew he was. “I’m here, Tony.” he said at least, but voice hoarse and airy. The coffee mug shattered on the ground.


	2. 1 - New York City - The Northwest Territories of Canada

“God damn it, we lost him. He’s not even showing up on the map anymore.” It was perhaps the closest to frantic Tony'd ever seen Natasha. For a moment, he lost every singe sensibility to the fear that Steve might not be coming back. It was always something that ate at the back of his mind, especially when he was off on these long missions, but never had those anxieties come anywhere near reality. Now that they had, Tony wasn’t sure what to do with them. The looped around his head, getting harder and harder to ignore by the second. Steve always came back. Always. 

The team was stuffed in the tactical room. The place was really only meant for about three people, and the proximity of bodies and the walls made his skin crawl. Tony tugged at his shirt collar and stared intently over Natasha’s shoulder, leaning over her to pull up a holographic map of the fifty mile radius Steve’s signal had last been received. The last signal pinned him near the northernmost point of Canada’s Northwest Territories. There was absolutely no point in this, but he had to do  _ something. _ Standing still wasn’t an option anymore.

“I don’t know what else to try,” Nat’s voice, usually so cool and precise, gave way to a small edge of panic. She was at the computer, typing like mad. Usually Tony’d be annoyed, usually he’d move to take her place to make sure she was doing everything in the most efficient way possible, but he couldn’t move. He couldn’t hear over the ringing in his ears. No one else said anything. All eyes were glued to the screen. 

“Maybe he’s just in a dead spot? Somewhere with limited satellite coverage?” Clint offered, breaking the silence at last. Somehow it was always Clint who broke the silence. He had hope in his voice. Tony wondered how he could be so optimistic. It was evident that he wasn’t the only one currently grappling with the calamity of the situation. Bruce’s face was ashen, Thor hadn’t said a word, eyes trained on the screen, jaw clenched. If Steve’s tracking device had really been removed, that fifty mile radius was all they had. There was no way to know where he was.

“If that were the case we’d still be getting his vitals,” Bruce interjected. “The device has either been removed or-” Bruce didn’t say it, but Tony was out of the room before he had a chance to. He couldn’t look at that screen any more. He couldn’t stand holding his breath, waiting for the blue dot to show back up on the map. He refused to entertain the idea that Steve was no longer living, because it simply wasn’t true. It couldn’t be. 

The device had to of been removed. That was the only explanation he was willing to accept. That was the thought he decided to focus on as he rushed to the lab. He took the stairs, positive he’d lose his mind if he stood in that elevator for a single second. When he reached the lab he was sweating and out of breath.  

“Jarvis, pull up the map for me. Blow it up, I want every single bit of information you have on the last known location of Captain Rogers. I mean everything.” He sat down, but stood up again, running a hand through his hair. 

“Right away, sir.” Jarvis intoned. The AI was too good at recognizing tone and emotion, as there was a pause before  the voice came again, along with the map Tony had asked for, a more detailed version of what he’d brought up in the tactical room.  “SHIELD has been notified of the situation.” 

Tony froze. 

“What? Why?”

“Protocol, sir.” 

Tony closed his eyes and took a deep breath, clenching and unclenching his fists. 

“Fat lotta shit that’s gonna do,” he muttered “You don’t— I don’t want them in on this, alright? You keep them out of it. If I’d been the one to design the damn tracker in the first place this wouldn’t of been an issue.” The thought was infuriating. He’d offered several times, to at least draft a better version of the thing for the team, but had been refused due to bullshit contract obligations. Tony wondered how much those obligations meant now that the damn thing had failed them. 

“You zip all this shit up tight, no one has access to any of it without me physically present or dead.” Tony hadn’t meant to shout, there was no real point in shouting at an AI. It happened anyway. How funny it was, how quickly he seemed to be falling apart at the seams. 

He was drained. He fell into a chair and covered his face with his hands. This was all supposed to be over. 

Steve was supposed to be on his way back. Things had gone  _ well.  _ The mission had been a success. They’d gotten the information they needed, they’d put a stop to an entire underground ring of alien weaponry replication. He’d rounded up the slimy gimps and their toys for questioning and examination and was supposed to be back in New York within the next forty eight hours. It wasn’t fair. 

It wasn’t fucking fair. 

 

* * *

 

The first thing Steve was aware of was blood in his mouth. The second was the incredible amount of pain he was in. He’d taken a bullet to the shoulder. He only knew this because of the wound. there was no recollection of it actually happening.  He’d taken one to the head too, that one he remembered if just barely. Had he not been wearing the cowl he was sure he’d be dead. A super serum wouldn’t exactly so anything if his brains weren’t in his head. The serum could, however, be a godsend for his shoulder.  The bullet went right through, leaving him with a bloody hole of an entry and exit wound. 

It was too dark in the windowless, doorless room to see much, he was forced to assess the wound with his fingers. It wasn’t good. There were bits of what he assumed to be bullet clinging to the torn flesh, but upon further inspection he realized it had been the implant. The thing hadn’t been large, about the size of a morning vitamin. It was inserted specifically for this mission in particular, given the terrain of the area and the dangerous details of the situation. It was destroyed so thoroughly it was almost like whoever's been pointing the gun had known it was there, which shouldn’t of been possible. The implant that, if he were rendered incapacitated, would be his only hope of being found again. Movement in his peripheral made him look up. 

“Who’s there? Where am I?” Nothing. Steve stood, but a feeling like a truck striking him came out of , he was pressed to the wall by an invisible weight, a terrible weight. It was crushing, hard to breathe. He gasped for breath, pain and confusion coursing through him. He was utterly helpless. “Please,” he grunted, his face reddening, unsure of who or what he was talking to. He was seeing spots in front of his eyes, and out of the darkness came a child.She was small, she had to be young. Early grade school aged at the oldest. She was thin and he skin looked yellowish and waxy, despite a rather dark complexion. Her white hospital gown was stained red with blood at the torso, the evidence of fading bruises on her face, evident even in the dim plight of the room. She held a hand up, her eyes locked on him. 

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Steve said, his voice barely a rasp. there wasn’t enough air in his body for him to be any more convincing. The black dots in his vision were growing larger, and he wasn’t sure he’d be conscious for much longer if he couldn’t take a breath, the child looked at him for what felt like an eternity before she lowered her hand, and Steve went down hard, choking on air, a hand going to cover the wound on his arm, which he’d managed to land on. He stayed down on his side, even once he’d regained some semblance of composure. He looked without moving, he saw the child pressed into a corner, he knees drawn up to her chest. He couldn’t see much of her face, just eh glint of her eyes as she watched him. 

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said again, quietly, sitting up slowly. His head, god his head. He’d had headaches and concussions before but this was something entirely new. Something was wrong. He didn’t have much time to think about it, however, as a  hissing sound filled the room. It wasn’t the only thing. Gas, some sort of gas was fogging the place up. The child started to panic. The noises she made were awful, nearly inhuman. Steve was beginning to have doubts that she even  _ was  _ human. She stood and ran from one edge of the room to the other, looking for a means of escape that didn’t seem to exist. It was pitiful to watch, but didn’t last long. The bitter smelling gas didn’t have a chance to fill the room before she fell to a crumpled heap to the floor, small chest heaving. The hissing stopped. mechanical whirring behind the wall adjacent from him signaled the opening of a door only operable from the outside. A man in a lab coat stepped into the room. 

“Captain. I’m pleased you could join us.” there was a foreign edge to his voice. Steve couldn’t place it. It sounded almost French. Steve was in no place to protect himself, he had to raise an arm to cover his eyes from the light the open door flooded the room with. “Don’t worry,” the man said. Taking as he carelessly lifted the child, letting her neck dangle at an angle Steve found uncomfortable just looking at.  “She will be punished for her actions.” Steve didn’t have a chance to tell him that wasn’t what he wanted, but something told him it would happen if he wanted it to or not. He didn’t have a chance to say anything, as the man was out of the room before he could process enough information to even open his mouth. 

It wasn’t until the door shut once more that Steve realized this wasn’t something he’d be able to get out of with a well formulated plan and some muscle. This wasn’t something he’d escape alone. That realization was one that was unmeasurable to the moment he realized there would be no way in hell for Tony to know for sure that he was alive. 

That hurt more than any physical wound he could ever acquire. Tony could be reckless, when it came to rescue. Tony could be reckless in general, and the thought of Tony doing something dangerously reckless to come after him was overwhelming.  

  
‘ _ Please,’  _ Steve thought, laying back down on the floor unable to keep himself up any longer.  _ ‘Please keep him safe.’  _


	3. After: Day 4  - New York City

The past four days had been a whirlwind. Tony wasn’t sure what to do, how to feel. There weren’t exactly words that described the emotion predominantly cloaking his brain. There was nothing but confusion. Relief, but mostly confusion. He stood behind the glass quarantine cell currently containing Steve and the kid. The kid who stuck to Steve like a tumor. The kid who’d killed four people in the process of detainment. Tony wan’t sure what to think of that. She was dangerous, that was obvious, but also obvious was the fact that there was no way in hell she’d be parting from Steve anytime soon, if Steve’s behavior had been anything to lead by. 

 

Steve  wasn’t anything like the man who’d left him in bed in the wee hours of the morning for a mission three years ago. He was thin and pasty, his hair was too long and disgustingly matted.  His eyes were never still, and took on a near wild glint. There was something there Tony’d never seen before, and he was frightened of it. Steve was a stranger. He’d fought so violently the moment agents tried to separate him and the kid for detox and quarantine you’d of thought they were trying to kill him. Had he thought that? Had he thought anything at all, or had he just reacted? Withered away as he was it still took two decently sized agents to muscle him into the quarantine cell.  

 

“ _Please,_ no. _”_ He’d begged, Tony had never seen him like that before. “Don’t put us in there, I’m fine, we’re fine! It’s been a fucking _week!”_ He’d struggled to no avail. Things had been bad then, but an agent tried to grab the child from his arms, and that had been then end of it. The little girl had flung an arm up, palm out. The agent touching her went flying, and hit the wall with a sickening crack, a bloody stain on the wall where his head had hit. Things pretty much just went to shit from there, and Tony was more or less forced to leave the room. He saw the footage, though. He saw how with just a clench of her tiny fist the kid crushed skulls and ribcages from feet away. Nothing good would come of power like that. 

 

Things were calm now. The bodies of the dead had been removed, the stains cleaned. The smell of antiseptic was maddening, but Tony couldn’t bring himself to leave. It still didn’t feel real. He still felt like he was going to wake up at any moment. Tony took a long gulp of his too hot coffee. The glass of the holding cell was one way. He could see in but they couldn’t see out. He’d been standing there for nearly an hour, just watching. Steve was asleep. The kid was smushed next to him. They were on the floor, despite there being beds in the cell. It only occurred to him after the fact that this might be exactly what the two had escaped from. 

 

Things had been fine at first. Immediately SHIELD had been notified, at least as immediately as possible. Tony hadn’t been sure what to do with himself in the moment, and for a good forty-five minutes he paced around his workshop trying to ensure himself that he wasn’t actually truly lost his mind. He must’ve asked Jarvis a hundred times if Steve was actually standing in the communal kitchen barfing up two day old pizza. Tony supposed it had been Jarvis who’d notified Shield, because within the hour agents were crawling all over the building, and leading a withered Steve out of the building, the kid holding on to him so hard he was already bruising. Bruising! Tony’d seen the man thrown through entire buildings without acquiring a single bruise, but there he was, tiny finger prints pressed into the little meat he had on his shoulder. He looked like a skeleton walking. 

 

“You can’t stand there forever.” 

 

Tony jumped, so far in his own head he didn’t hear Bruce even walk in. 

 

“I’m just trying to figure it out,” Tony said, turning to greet him, not surprised to see Bruce looking as shitty as he felt. Nobody had gotten much sleep since Steve showed up with the little hellion. 

 

“You’re not the only one.” Bruce agreed, rubbing at his face. “Are you alright? I know it must be…a lot.” Tony shrugged off the question. Him being alright wasn’t exactly what was important. 

 

“How long do you think they’re gonna keep them in there?” Shield hadn’t told anybody shit, and it was getting increasingly frustrating.  It wasn’t like they were going to divulge any information to tabloids and news stations. Tony was convinced Hill was intentionally being a dick. 

 

“As long as it takes to finish testing. They’ve tested negatively for everything than can be tested for without actual blood work.” Bruce let out a long breath and turned his back to the cell. “The rest of the clearance tests are going to require a few samples.”

 

“How the hell are they going to do that? I mean you saw-“ Bruce cut him off with a wave of his hand and a shake of his head. 

 

“I don’t know. The only real option is sedatives. Can’t risk another life.” There was a long silence between the two of them, the same thought rattling around their heads. 

 

Distracted, neither of them realized the kid’s eyes had opened. 

 

“What do you think they’ll do to her? For earlier I mean. There’s got to be consequences-“ Tony stopped talking, movement in the cell in front of them distracting him. The kid was sitting up, looking dead at them. 

 

“ I think she can hear us,”  Bruce muttered, brow furrowed in interest. “…Do you think she’s human?”

 

“I don’t like that. I’m not sure I really want to know.” Tony said, shaking his head, taking a few steps back, feeling suddenly very unsafe. He watched as the kid laid a hand on Steve’s bare arm, an arm much skinner than the one Tony was-had been used to. 

 

“I'm going to turn in. I think you should try and do the same.” Bruce said, turning his back on the cell as Steve stirred and sat up. Tony didn’t want to leave. He took a few steps backwards, still watching. He saw Steve speak, but soundproofing kept him from hearing any of the words that came from his mouth. Finally, he turned his back, exiting out the door Bruce held open for him. 

Had they waited a few seconds longer, They'd of seen Steve stir and slowly wake. They'd of seen the kid point exactly to where they had been standing.


	4. 7 - The Northwest Territories of Canada

_“Tony. It’s late, you’re not helping anybody by worrying.” It was later than late, really. Tony was up pacing, twisting and un twisting a rolled magazine in his hands. Steve watched him go from one side of their room to the next from the bed, sketchbook in hand. “You’re freaking me out a little.” he added, tapping the charcoal pencil on the page. He hadn’t actually been able to get anything down with Tony positively leaking stressed energy._

_“I don’t see how you’re_ not _worried, Steve.” Tony said, pausing in his pacing only to look at him. “Tomorrow. The wedding is tomorrow-“_

_“I know, we picked the date together remember?”_

_“Steve now is not the time for sarcasm, alright? There’s too much that could go wrong. I don’t know how they figured it out.” He tossed the magazine on the bed. The cover read ‘Super Wedding! Everything you want to know about the Stark-Rogers union’ Steve had seen it, but genuinely he wasn’t bothered. They were still getting married, he was still going to have Tony for the rest of his life._

_“One of the vendors probably sold out, but, Tony-“ he stood, maneuvering around the bed, taking Tony’s hand to pull him close. “It doesn’t matter to me.” he said, brushing Tony’s hair from his eyes. “By the end of the day tomorrow we’re still gonna be married.” saying it out loud still made him giddy and warm._

_“I just wanted it to be perfect,” Tony sighed, resting his head on Steve’s shoulder. Steve dropped a hand to his hip and swayed, dancing to music that wasn’t there._

_“You know it will be.” he assured, closing his eyes, basking in the moment. “I love you, you know.”_

_“ I mean I hope you do." Tony said. "The wedding’s tomorrow”_

 

Steve woke with a gasp, wincing at the pain in his shoulder. He’d woken and slept three times, but without being able to see if it was day or night that didn’t mean anything. It was long enough for infection to set in his shoulder. The skin around the wound was hot and reddened. He’d flushed the wound out with water from the tank of the toilet situated in the corner of the room. For the first time in a long time he thought he might have a fever. It was hard, but he paced the length of the room to keep himself awake. He genuinely wasn’t sure how or if the serum would react to infection. It was nothing he'd had to worry about since the war. Tf something wasn’t done soon… 

The last time he’d woken up the kid had been there. She was watching him, only her eyes moving as she tracked his movements. There were odd circular bruises on her her head, and she held her arm to her chest, wrist limp. It looked swollen and discolored. 

“What happened?” he asked softly, voice hoarse from disuse. He tried to edge near her, but she scuttled away. Steve put his hands up, not forgetting how easily she’d nearly killed him. 

“I’m not here to hurt you.” he added carefully. “What did they do to you?” She just looked at him. Her eyes were glassy and her movements were sluggish. He wondered if she was still drugged. 

A slat in the wall opened up and a tray of food pushed through. He rushed for it, he hadn’t eaten anything since he’d arrived. It wasn’t a lot, a sandwich made only of bread and cheese. The way the kid was staring at him he could only guess she was about as hungry as he was. He offered it to her. She shook her head. Shrugging, Steve took a bite, but before he could eat any more the tray shot out of his hands and hit the wall. 

“What the hell?” he was too loud, she flinched and covered her face, and the reality of his situation dawned on him all too immediately. "I'm sorry. Why did you do that?” 

Nothing happened for a very long time. Long enough that he thought maybe she’d gone to sleep. He was heading that way too when she finally stood. There was something wrong with her gait. She walked with an odd sort of limp, and Steve’s stomach chilled as she got closer. If she decided to hurt him there wasn’t going to be much he could do about it. She didn’t hurt him. She sat down next to him and tentatively, slowly, laid a hand on his own. 

 _“It’ll make you sleep.”_ Steve jumped. The voice inside his head was so sudden and so there there was no denying he’d heard it. She hadn’t even looked at him, and the sound surly hadn’t come from her mouth. 

“What?” He needed to be sure he’d actually heard it. 

“ _They’ll cut you open.”_ Her little hand was cold and clammy atop his. It made him shiver. A wave of nausea rolled through him. 

“Do you know—“ he paused, reassessing his approach. “What are they trying to do here? Do you know that? Can you tell me?” 

She simply stared at him blankly. He wasn’t sure why he was so disappointed. It was quiet for a long moment. She didn’t move her hand. 

“You have a name, kid?” It’s been a while since he’d spoken to anyone aside from the man who’d come to retried the shield when he arrived. 

“ _That’s it.”_ She yawned. Steve saw a mouth still full of baby teeth. He saw a long scar that ran the length of her neck, a bandage peeked from under the collar of her gown. 

“What, Kid? Don’t you want to be called something else?” She didn’t answer him. She kept her knees pulled up to her chest. “Do you have anything to eat?” he couldn’t help but ask the question. To his surprise, she nodded. She moved to the far back corner of the room, next to the toilet. She pushed on the wall, something he hadn’t even thought to to.A compartment opened, no bigger than a foot all around. Something clattered down inside. She came back to him with brown speckled blocks that looked more like sponges than anything. 

“I’ve had these before,” he said, taking a bit of one, closing his eyes, glad to just have something to chew on “They’re supposed to be for emergencies…” high in calories and nutrients, they tasted like dirt. It was better than hunger pains. “How long have you been here?” 

“ _Always.”_

Oh. 

“Well, now I’m here too, I guess. The good thing is, I’ve got friends who’re gonna come get us out. We’re not gonna have to wait too long. They’re smart people.” As soon as he said it he wished he hadn't, because she really looked like she believed him, smiling for the first time. She had a good one. It went all the way up to her eyes, reminding him of Tony. 

If any one could find them it'd be Tony. 

 


	5. After: Day 8 - New York City

Tony was talking to him, but Steve couldn’t hear him. He was laser focused on the screen on the table between them, watching Bruce examine the Kid. She was out cold, entirely defenseless. He didn’t like it. It made his entire body vibrate with anxious anxiety. 

“What’s he doing?” Steve asked, interrupting whatever the hell Tony’d been saying. It was hard to care, seeing her like that.  He looked at Tony then, only for a moment. He looked frustrated. 

“ I really need you to focus here, Steve.” Tony said, sounding like he was speaking carefully. 

“I need to know what he’s doing.” Steve said again, tapping his fingers on the table, his knee bouncing. Tony sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. He pressed a button on the side of the screen. 

“Bruce, check in.” there was a long pause. It was easy to see the frustration in the set of Bruce’s shoulders when the intercom rang out for perhaps the thirtieth time in the three hours he’d been working over the Kid. 

“I’m removing the medical ports from her chest and abdomen and back. I think they might be infected.” There was a pause. ‘Things like these are normally and properly used to help treat cancer patients. And usually only found in the chest…I’m not sure why she has so many. I haven’t found any signs of cancer in her body yet, though. The tests are good.” 

“The tests are good.” Tony echoed, turning off the intercom.

Steve shut his eyes and blew out a breath. He hated this. Hated that she was so far. If something were to happen he wouldn’t be bale to get to her fast enough. 

“Steve.” It was Tony. His voice was almost pleading. “I need you to try alright? If you don’t answer me you’re gonna have to do this all over again with some asshole agent in an interrogation room. It’s going to be a lot less fun that way, and you won’t be able to take the Kid with you.” 

“Yeah, alright. I’m sorry I’m just…worried.” Steve said, eyes flitting between the screen and Tony. 

Tony. 

He was still the same as he was when Steve had left. He still moved the same, spoke the same. He still took his coffee the same and made the same sound when he was frustrated. 

“Alright, it’s fine just try for me, okay? Focus.” There was a camera on a tripod next to him. Tony pressed record. “Okay. Does the kid have a name? Anything she answers to?” 

 “Kid. “ Steve said simply “The techs never named her, at least I don’t think. I think they used a sample number? I can’t remember” he said tiredly, looking down at the plate in front of him. He’d eaten exactly half of the bagel. He’d intended to save the other half for her. She hadn’t had anything to eat in twelve hours, she couldn’t with the antiseptic. It took him too long to realize that there would be more bagels. He took the half he’d saved and started smothering it with creme cheese. Tony nodded at him. There was something in his eyes Steve couldn’t quite place. 

“Do you know, exactly, the extent of what she can do?” 

“Why?” Steve froze, mid chew. His eyes narrowed, the suspicion on his face clear as day. He wasn’t going to let her stay a weapon. He wasn’t going to let anybody hurt her like that again. He owed that to her in the least. He’d die if he had to, he’d come to that conclusion a long time ago. He looked back at the screen, watching Bruce remove the tubing in the girls chest he’d never really known was there. He’d seen the port sites, but never knew what was beneath them.  He was so engrossed in the mildly bloody task that he missed the next question. He didn’t even realize there was still food in his mouth until Tony snapped his fingers in front of his face. 

“Hey, come on. Pay attention. I know it’s hard.” Did he really? “What can she do?” 

“Haven’t you seen enough?” Steve asked after swallowing. He wanted to talk about everything else. He wanted to talk about how he’d seen the funeral. About how he’d seen the news reels about Tony and Pepper sometime after. At the time he’d hated that they’d been shown to him, knowing the only purpose was to break him, but now he was quite glad. It wasn’t something he’d have to find out on his own.

“I’ve seen more than enough,” Tony responded, breaking through the tumbling stream of thought. Steve saw a visible shudder go through him. “That’s why I’ve got to ask the question in the first place.” That made sense. 

“It’s telekinesis, I think. Everything else is just…she’s got good senses? I don’t know, she’ll make you feel things. Whatever she feels. All she’s gotta do is touch you. It’s how she talks.” He felt almost dirty divulging the information without the Kid there to hear it, without her permission. But she had killed for people. Four good people. They’d have to talk about that. 

“What are they going to do to her? For before?” That took Tony by surprise. Steve could still read him like a book. 

“Well…now there not much of a choice but to get her trained-“

“Trained?” 

“To be in control, calm down. There’s only one question left for now.” Tony started reach across the table to take his hand. Reflexively, Steve dropped his hands to his lap.Tony paused, then turned off the camera. He didn’t say anything, he just stared for too long of a time. 

“What did they do to you?” he asked, but Steve knew he wasn’t really to answer. He supposed maybe that question was the hardest of all of them to answer, because he really didn’t know. It wasn’t this hard to talk to the Kid. Hell, it wasn’t even this hard to _think_ before he’d arrived at the tower. He thought things were going to be better, and they were, but it was all so overwhelming. So incredibly overwhelming he genuinely wanted to be back in that containment cell. He looked down at the table, his heart sinking. 

“You’re not wearing you’re ring.” he wasn’t sure why he thought he would be. Steve supposed it wasn’t fair of of expected him to. The realization still hurt all the same. “I’m going to go sit with the Kid.” he said after a too tense moment. He stood

“Steve…” 

Steve didn’t turn. He pressed the button for the elevator and stepped on, letting the doors close before he turned and selected the lab floor. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, hating the enclosed space, feeling like his chest was too tight. The doors opened, and he was surprised to see Natasha. 

He hadn't seen her since he'd arrived. He'd been told she was off on a mission. He wondered if that had been the truth. By the surprise on her face, he figured that it was. 

"It's you," is all she said, a series of emotions crossed her face, and before he had a chance to say anything she hugged him. He couldn't help but melt into the contact. She was his best friend. He'd told her about Tony, she'd been the one who'd helped him propose. He owed a lot to her. She pulled away and looked him up and down, for once her emotions not well hidden on her face. "You need a haircut," she said with a smile. "Come fined me later. We'll take care of it." 

And then she was gone. Steve was once again left alone on the elevator. The doors closed and his descent to the lab floor resumed

 


	6. After: Day 16 -New York City

" _I don't want to go in there."_  

Steve had to resist the urge to shake the Kid off when she grabbed his hand. Her anxiety shot through him like a hot knife through butter. He was barely managing his own. He hadn't known it would be this hard. He'd readjusted to this world once before, but something about this time was so different. Being in one place for so long...it'd become almost comfortable. Knowing every corner of that room, every sound and and possible option as to what it could potentially mean? It'd been a comfort, even in that hell hole. He couldn't imagine what it was like for the Kid. She clung to him practically every second of the day, which made it difficult to discuss the results of the tests that'd finally been finished. The fact that Bruce wouldn't discuss them in front of her made Steve incredibly nervous. 

"I thought you were hungry," Steve said, almost forgetting she'd said anything. That was happening a lot lately. "Food's in the kitchen." 

Their pace down the hall was slow. The Kid wasn't a strong mover, really. She'd lived her entire life in that cell. She'd never needed to be. 

 _"But..them are in there too,"_ Steve looked down at her. She looked better than she had even a week ago, clean and already gaining a little weight. Her hair was cut short, there'd been no saving it. The matting and tangling had been too much to correct. Now, it sat in a curly mop atop her head, just above almond eyes that seemed to have a little more shine with each passing day. Steve hadn't even known it was curly in the first place.She'd been angry at him for that one. She still was. 

"They are," He corrected. "but nobody here's ever going to hurt you. They're happy you're here." Hungry himself and impatient with their pace, Steve gave in and hoisted the Kid up into his arms, finishing the walk in only a few moments. The Kid put her little hand on the back of his neck. 

" _They are happy_ you  _are here,"_ She said, and Steve felt a pang of sadness. He wasn't sure if it was his or hers. 

"You know, you're gonna have to pick a name soon." he said, changing the subject as they entered the kitchen.

 _"Why?"_ Upon seeing the kitchen empty Steve felt the Kid relax.  

"Because that's how the world works. People have to know what to call you, you gotta have a social security card an all that jazz." He set her down in a chair and moved to the fridge, digging around to find something she hadn't tried before. This was one thing he was really enjoying about being back, introducing her to all the simple pleasures he hadn't realized he'd started taking for granted. He heard her slap a hand on the counter, and he turned to look at her. She had one hand out, palm facing the ceiling in a gesture for  _why._

 _"_ I don't know why, Kid. You'll have to ask someone..." Steve trailed off, words dying in his mouth. The Kid shifted in her chair to look behind her, matching Steve's line of sight. "Hi, Tony." 

Tony paused. He looked like he'd been trying to sneak away before he was seen. It made Steve's heart sink to his feet. Tony had his back to him, Steve couldn't see his face, but he could see the tense line of his shoulders. Tony turned, smiling the fake smile Steve absolutely  _hated._ That wasn't the smile Tony used to give him.

"Hey, Steve. How's it going? Hows the--" he waved in the Kid's direction, and she looked at Steve pointedly. She was right. 

"We're fine. I was gonna make a few sandwiches, actually. If you wanted one." The formality between them was somehow worse than everything else. Steve didn't know what to do with it. 

" I was actually--" Tony squinted. "Roast beef?" 

The Kid was looking between the two of them, head turning every time the other talked, a small panicked edge to her features and posture. She was still in survival mode. Steve really couldn't blame her. 

"If you want, I don't think she's tried it yet. Have you?" He held up the package to for her to see. The Kid shook her head. 

"Well, I guess it's unanimous, then." Tony said, smiling and moving to the kitchen. There was a hesitance to him though. Steve wondered how long that would last before things got back to normal.  _If_ things got back to normal. They worked in silence for a bit. The way they used to. Steve spread the mayo on the bread slices and handed them off to Tony, who placed the roast beef and slid them back to Steve, who placed the cheese while Tony cut tomatoes and so on.  

"You're making sandwiches!?" 

There was a startled gasp from the kid, she nearly fell out of her chair. She turned and fixed Clint with glower that nearly matched Steve's. The reactions were so similarly timed that Tony actually laughed. 

"I'm sorry! Sorry, I just got excited. You make great sandwiches. I was never able to recreate them." Clint said, softer this time. The Kid put her hands on either side of her face and sighed, overwhelmed. Clint ambled over to her. 

Steve watched for only a moment before turning back to his work, taking the new slices of bread Tony handed him with a smile. "We might as well make a few extras." he said with a shrug, nodding to the bag of bread. Tony took out six more slices. 

"I really am sorry. I didn't mean to make you jump." Clint said, extending his hand in truce. The Kid simply looked at it, then at Steve's back. "You shake it. Like this" Clint took her hand and shook it. Steve watched from the reflection of the toaster, smiling a little. She was learning. Slowly but surely. 

"Hey," Steve said quietly, bumping Tony's shoulder with his own as he placed the roast beef meticulously on the bread. "I'm sorry. About the other week. The ring thing. That wasn't fair." 

Tony faltered only for a moment. 

"It's fine. You didn't know-" 

"I did know. I saw the funeral. I saw the..the news. About everything after. I was just...It was a lot to take in." Steve kept on doing his part for the sandwich, but Tony stilled next to him. 

"You saw that, huh? " There was a long pause, Tony stared off into space. Steve moved on the the next stage of sandwich making. He looked behind him, the Kid was watching something on Clint's phone. His heart leapt when he saw her place a hand on his forearm. He saw him jump a little, then smile and nod. 

"Maybe we'll get you one. I'll have to talk to Steve." The Kid grinned, and Steve was about to turn to ask Clint what exactly he said the could get her when he felt Tony's hand over his. It was light, and only there for a moment and gone just the next. 

"I'm sorry," Tony said, simply, too quietly. He grabbed a sandwich half and was out of the kitchen before Steve could blink, let alone respond. He was left there to finish putting together the last sandwich on his own. 

"Steve," Clint called. Steve turned to look at him. He'd given his phone to The Kid, she frowned as she attempted to scroll through it. "We gotta teach this kid to sign." 

* * *

 

The Kid was asleep on the floor in the closet. Steve had taken a few spare comforters from the linen closet and set them up for her, attempting to gradually get her used to sleeping in a bed. Bruce said it wasn't good for either of them, but if he was honest he couldn't sleep in the bed either. In the room. There was too much space. It wasn't even his room. The one he'd had when he'd moved in hadn't been used by him in years even before he went on that mission, and belonged to someone called Peter Steve had yet to meet. Clearly couldn't go back to the one he'd shared with Tony. So he was in a guest room, on the floor of the walk in closet, his knees pulled to his chest, waiting for the familiar sounds of the little girl's snores before getting up. 

He left the room, shutting and locking the door carefully. Not having her in his direct sight wasn't hard when he knew she was safe, and that she wasn't in any position to unintentionally hurt anybody else or herself. They hadn't talked about the four men she'd killed on the night of their arrival. How does one explain a thing like that to ten year old? At least that's how old they  _thought_ she was. It was hard to tell. Bruce said he'd tell him more when the Kid wasn't sitting there, staring at him. Walking down the hall Steve felt weird without her next to him. He was surprised to see both Bruce and Natasha waiting for him in the living room. 

" Sorry I'm late," He said, scratching the back of his head." She didn't fall asleep as quickly as I thought she would. "He sat down on the couch next to Natasha, adjacent from Bruce, who set down the mug of tea he'd been sipping from. There was a folder in his lap. 

"It's fine," Bruce said, but something about him was off. Steve didn't like the way he was looking at him. Natasha either, for that matter. She didn't say a word, but he could see it in her eyes. Something was wrong. 

" Let's get on with it then," Steve said, knee bouncing. "How is she?" 

Bruce looked for a moment as if her were searching for the best way to proceed. "Things aren't exactly good, Steve. That's not to say they won't be. A lot of these problems are easy things to fix but...I just don't have enough information." Bruce flipped open the file and started leafing through pages. 

"She's got wild amount of nutrition related health issues. Her cardiovascular system is weak, theres dystrophy in the muscles in her legs and arms-" 

"I know all this already." Steve interrupted. "We've already gone over this part. I'm doing everything I can." 

Bruce put up a hand, Steve sat back, arms crossed. 

"I need to know more. Her vocal folds are mutilated, her ovaries have been removed...there so much more I don't understand. That means I could be missing something, and that's dangerous in any situation. Especially here. I need to know the conditions of birth-if she even was birthed-" 

" Of corse she was-" Natasha put a hand on Steve's arm, and he once again shut his mouth, jaw clenched. "Sorry." 

"We know you care, Steve. If you didn't we wouldn't be asking you to do this in the first place." She said, repositioning  herself so she could look him in the eyes. 

"Asking me to do what?" he asked, suspicion creeping into him now. "What're you talking about?" 

There was a long pause. No one spoke. 

"We need you to take us there." Natasha said. Her voice was soft, but firm. "Not only so we can get the information on the Kid, but also so we can try and figure out who these people are in the first place. We can't just let this go. Not investigating this now could only lead to more...incidents like this one." 

Steve looked between the two of them. They were right, it was obvious they were right. That didn't mean he'd have to like it. 

"I'll do it." he said simply. There was a look between Natasha and Bruce, as if they hadn't expected him to agree so easily. " Are we done here? I gotta get back. If she wakes up and I'm not there it's not gonna be good." 

 


	7. 60 - The Northwest Territories of Canada

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This took forever, I'm sorry!

He’d been strapped to the table for a long time. Three days? Maybe it was longer? He was bleeding. Had been bleeding. He could feel his blood saturated shirt beginning to stick to his back.  Steve cracked his eyes open, wondering if the too bright overhead light was still on. 

“Captain, I don’t get tired of this. I can go all day, and when it’s time for me to go I’ll find someone to take my place. It’s that simple.” The man in the coat. The one with the accent. The sound of his voice was sudden and jarring, Steve was startled into opening his eyes all at once. He couldn’t turn his head, it was strapped the the table, as well as his check, arms and legs. His shirt was cut open down the centre, there were perfectly straight too red lined running up and down his chest and abdomen. Some were crusted and black, others were still wet and shining. He couldn’t even remember why he was here in the first place. 

“Tell us about Rebirth.” 

They’d taken his uniform, when had they taken his uniform? In it’s place he wore what appeared to be a light green scrubs. It’s rough fabric was like sandpaper on his wounds.

“Go to hell.” Steve  rasped. He could hear the man in the white coat pick up something metal. Then then something… rolling? There was an electric whirring and then the table was tilting up, so he was in an upright position. Steve grunted from the discomfort of it. 

“It’s been hours,” The man in the coat started. He turned on the screen. The Kid was on it, ankles and chest strapped to a table, her arms strapped  over her head. She wasn’t conscious. 

“ What did you do to her?” Steve asked. There was blood on her gown. It was too red on the pristine white of the thing. Her head hung low, her shoulders dipped forward, looking like they’d of dislocated had she been any heavier. 

“Everything we’ve done to you. Every refusal means-“ He stopped talking and waved at the screen. A prod came into view, it buzzed as the  thing was pressed to the Kid’s middle. Her entire body twitched. 

“What’s wrong with you? How high do you have the voltage on that thing?” The man in the white coat waved again, and suddenly there was a prod zapping at his own abdomen. Steve felt his muscles spasm involuntarily. An angry grunt escaped him as he clenched his teeth. 

“ You’re going to kill her,” He breathed. “She’s a child.” 

The man in the white coat shrugged his shoulders. 

“She’s a runt. We’ve got five more and another batch cooking. I’m not the one who’s going to kill her, Captain. You are. Your…refusal to share information. Either you talk, or we end this right now. I’m sure you’d enjoy the lovely space we’ve arranged for you in solitude.”

Steve struggled once more against the restraints. This wasn’t normal, was it? The restraints weren’t anything special. They were simply straps. He should be able to free himself—but even every ounce of strength he had wasn’t enough. What was happening? 

“No.” He said simply, feeling defeated. 

“No? A pity. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” 

* * *

 

_“Steve. Stevie. Steven Grant Rogers.” Steve opened his eyes to see Tony looming over him. He jumped, half ready to spring into action before he realized there’s nothing wrong. There were no alarms. Tony’s hair was bed rumpled, and he was still dressed in his bed clothes._

_“Come on. I’ve got something to show you.” Tony said softly, tugging at his arm. Steve groaned. It’s been a long day. Hell, a long week. It’d been one problem after the other, Doom Bots in Manhattan. Lava Monsters in the Bronx,  
a mutant super villain  in Brooklyn. The clean up efforts were relentless, as was SHEILD  trying to figure out just exactly what the hell was going on. _

_“s’no time,” He mumbled, pulling the blanket up over his shoulders as he rolled over on his side, his back to Tony. For a moment he thought he’d won. That Tony was going to let him sleep. The sudden rush of cold air as the blankets were pulled completely off the bed alerted him to the fact that he was utterly wrong._

_“Up and out of bed, Captain. It’s two am and I’ve got something you need to see.” Tony said, much too loudly for the hour. Steve suspected coffee was the culprit. Knowing there was no arguing, he sat up, glowering._

_“Oh, Jesus. I might not survive the ‘are you fucking kidding me’ face. Time of death  two o’ four.” Tony tossed a sweatshirt to him and pulled one over his head himself, sliding on his slippers. He meandered over to Steve, sitting on the side of the bed. He took his face in both his hands and looked him in the eyes._

_“This better be good,” Steve muttered, unable to help the smile that was breaking up the frustration that had clouded him for only a moment._

_“Trust me, sunshine. It’s going to be beautiful.” Tony kissed him, and he was still sleep warm. Steve leaned into it, but Tony pulled away all too soon. “Uh uh,” He said, shaking his head. “No distractions. Come on.” He got up, pulling Steve by the arm. Steve let him pull him up and tugged on his sweatshirt wordlessly, shuffling to put on his slippers with an exaggerated yawn._

_“Alright. I’m ready. Let-“ Steve didn’t even get to finish his sentence before he was being dragged out of the bedroom and through the penthouse to the elevator, in which Steve leaned on the wall and let his eyes fall shut. He really was exhausted. He was surprised Tony was even awake. Before they’d gone to sleep he was practically comatose on his feet. The elevator doors opened, and Tony pulled him out with the same amount of excitement he’d woken him up with._

_“Why are we on the roof?” Steve asked, confused. He shivered a little. It was September. In the dark the wind was chilly, and carried the smell of burnt leaves and rain. The lawn furniture  in the sleek outdoor area was soaked with it, having been left out._

_“Look up,” Tony said. Steve looked over at him to ask him if he’s lost his mind when he was very suddenly enthralled. The look on Tony’s face was something he’d never seen before, an odd mixture of awe and fear. A pensive observation that made his eyes look far away and sad-yet there was a smile on his face. A small laugh rolled out of him, his eyes slid from the sky to meet Steve’s, and he frowned, previous expression evaporated. “You’re missing the show, genius.” he said, pointing up._

_Nearly as soon as Steve looked up he saw one. It was a meteor shower. Brilliant pinpricks of light streaked across the sky before fading, some fizzling out. Another breeze compelled him to pull Tony close to keep them warm. They both just stood there and stared, heads tilted up. Steve didn’t look away until his neck started to ache. He rubbed at it, amazed smile still stuck on his face as he stole glances at the star sprinkled night sky that usually seemed inky black against the brightness of the city. He looked down to tell Tony so, but before he could Tony turned into him. wrapping him in a hug, pressing his cold nose and warm lips into his neck. Neither of them had spoken in nearly thirty minutes, too swept away in the moment. Neither of them spoke then, either, but Steve could feel the words ‘I love you’ whispered into his neck._

* * *

 

Steve woke with a sudden gasp and the intense urge to vomit. When had he been placed back here? When had he lost consciousness? For how long? Steve put an hand over his mouth, scooting up to sit up fully. He looked down to his side. The Kid was there. She wouldn’t look at him, but she was awake, her fingers just brushing the skin on his shoulder. 

_“Why you didn’t talk?”_ she asked. Steve didn’t know what to tell her. She looked angry. She _was_ angry, he could feel it, it was heavy and suppressing, and away was the urge to vomit. It was replaced by a new urge. Steve wanted to hurt the man in the white coat, he wanted to make him feel what he was feeling all because- 

“What the hell? Is that you? You did that, didn’t you?” Steve asked, jerking away from the Kid. The intrusive anger was gone, and he was left with the familiar simmer of his own. She only looked at him, her eyes watering. A fat tear rolled down her face and Steve scooted back over immediately to comfort her. 

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have talked like that.” She’d been hurt and it was his fault. He knew what they did to her. Every single cut, every single zap with the prod they’d given him, they’d given her too. All because he wouldn’t talk. He still wouldn’t. For the first time, Steve looked the kid up and down. She’s propped herself against the wall. Most of her wounds were dressed, but many had already bled though bandages. They didn’t look like they’d been changed in days. How long had he been out?

“Sometimes you just can’t.” He said quietly, trying to tame the mess that was her hair. “Is there food?” 

She doesn’t answer him, her eyes moved to the wall where the food was dispensed. The chamber was overflowing. There were a few of the shrink wrapped packages on the floor. The button stopped working long ago. Now the meal replacement bars only clattered from the dispenser three times a day. There was always four of them. 

“I can tell by the bars,” he mused aloud. 

“ _What by the bars?”_ The Kid asked, and Steve decided to make a point to talk to her more. She barely spoke, and when she did it was much too simple for a child of her age. She was small, but Steve could tell she was old enough to know how to speak in better formulated sentences. She just hadn’t been taught.

“How many days it’s been.” he said, grunting as he worked through the pain of standing up. Once on his feet he rubbed at his wrists as he limped to the wall, scooping up the meal replacement bars from the dispenser tray located near their toilet. He looked down at the kid and frowned. There was a long trail of blood from one corner of the room to the other. It ended by the Kid, just next to where he had been…sleeping? 

“You were awake when I came back?” Steve asked. The Kid stared at him for a long moment, contemplating. She nodded. 

He made his way back to her and sat down slowly. She grabbed one of the bars and started eating immediately. Steve counted the rest of them. They’d ended up with thirty six. 

“We’re going to have a feast,” He said, grinning, tearing open a few more packages for the kid before opening several for himself. He didn’t think they’d ever tasted so good. Once there was five of them in him he felt a little more alert. He was able to assess his injuries, and the Kid’s, for that matter. He was in the middle of just that when her tiny voice floated into his head. 

“ _When do they come?”_ She asked as Steve tried to readjust a few her bandages. When he pulled away and sat back against the wall, she leaned into him, wrapping a little arm around his own. Her hands were cold. Steve scooted closer to her, wishing they’d pump some warm air into the cell.

“Who?” he asked, stacking the remaining uneaten bars in the corner. There were twenty nine of them left. 

“ _Friends.”_ Steve didn’t look down at her _._ He’d told her maybe a dozen times that they’d be found. He regretted each time more than the last. It’d been a long time. Long enough that his hair was beginning to creep over his ears. He never let it get that long anymore.  There was no guaranteeing what was going on out there. That the team even knew where he was. They were searching for him, they had to be, but he’d had people searching for him before, hadn’t he? They’d taken eighty years to find him then. 

“I don’t know. I don’t know where they are.” 

There was no response from the Kid. She was asleep. 

 

Steve hoped she’d forget she’d even asked by time she woke up.

 


	8. After: 30 - New York City

It was finally decided that there would be a visit to the facility where Steve and the kid had been held. Logically, Tony knew it was what needed to be done, but logic also told him it would be dangerous. Immeasurably so. They had very little information as a whole. From what they could find out through tests with the kid and Steve’s stories the abductors had been third party scientists trying to grow their own super soldiers. There was no telling if they’d actually succeeded. He’d seen what that kid could do the day she arrived. There really wouldn’t be much stopping an army of fully grown, fully trained people like her. 

“Tony?” It was Steve. Tony knew that before he turned around. Not only by his voice, but the fact that Steve was the only one who had a code to get into the lab while it was in blackout.  He sighed, sparring one last glance at the locator schematics before flicking away hologram and turning to look at Steve as he walked in. He looked ready for bed, clad in an undershirt and sweatpants. Tony looked down at his watch.  When the hell had it gotten to be one am?

“Hey, Steve.” He said softly, a tiny smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. This was something he thought he’d never see again. Steve standing there in his workshop, his eyes so incredibly blue in such even light. He smelled like Irish Spring and the two-in-one shampoo he used despite the fact Tony’d told him on several occasions that it was awful for his hair. 

“You’ve been down here a while,” he said, leaning against the table, arms crossed loosely over his chest.He’d only just gotten a haircut, but his damp hair still reached past his ears. Tony couldn’t help but thing that it might be difficult to fit under the cowl.  “Thought I’d come say hi.” 

“I glad you did. How’s the kid? You get her to agree to a name yet?” Tony asked, fingers tapping on the center of his chest. Steve smiled and chuckled and looked at Tony with such fondness he found himself near blushing. 

“Yeah. She likes Kay.” He said, and a look crossed Steve’s face that Tony’d never seen before. It was a look of pride and pure love wrapped in a softness so sincere Tony thought he might need to go back and look at it again in the security feed, maybe take the frame and save it forever. It also occurred to him that Steve had become a father in every sense of the term. 

“Kay suits her.” he said, nodding. He let out a breath and nodded for Steve to take the seat next to him. He did, and the two of them sat there a moment in silence. 

“I’m leading a mission back there.” Steve started, looking down at his hands, rubbing them together absentmindedly. 

“I know. I got the memo.” Tony said, turning in his seat to face him. 

“I can’t bring her with me,” Steve said, looking him in the eye. Anxiety rolled off him in waves. “I can’t do that to her. She wouldn’t understand.” he said, and Tony wasn’t entirely suer of Steve was speaking to him or thinking out loud, his eyes were so far away.

“Then she can stay here.” Tony said with a shrug. “It’s not that big of a deal, Steve. She’d be safe here. Shield would look after her.” Steve was shaking his head before Tony even finished the sentence. 

“No, I couldn’t do that.” he said, running a hand through his hair. It was all fluffy form being so recently washed. “I came to ask if you’d stay with her.” Steve said quickly, sounding almost nervous. Tony wasn’t sure how to feel about the question. Tony’s experience with children was lacking to say the least. Not to mention the fact that out of everybody in the tower he’d spent the least time in her presence. 

“So, what? You want me to just stay here?” Tony asked, brow raised. Steve shrugged, eyes darting away from Tony’s, shoulders tensing. 

“We’re going to need someone in the control room anyway.” Steve said lightly. “You’re the only one I can leave her with, alright?” He looked incredibly uncomfortable. “I don’t want to leave her at all…” 

Tony didn’t say anything. He wasn’t sure  _ what _ to say. Steve had that little line between his eyes. The one that only sat there when he was upset. 

“Why?” the question fell out of him before he could think better of it. Steve looked shocked that he’d asked. 

“Because I trust you, Tony. I know she’d be safe with yo-“

“I didn’t find you.” Tony blurted, shooting up out of his chair into a pace. 

“You thought I was dead. The entire would did.” Steve said quietly. He stood, stepping in front to Tony, cutting him off. He was close. This close Tony couldn’t not look at him. 

“I didn’t find you.” He repeated, and Steve’s eyes were right there, he was stood so close Tony could feel the warmth coming off him. 

Steve sighed and pulled him into a hug. Tony returned it without hesitation. Neither of them said a word. They just stood there like that for the longest time, eyes closed, breathing each other in. 

“We’re not married anymore, are we?” Steve asked quietly. He didn’t pull away. 

“No.” Tony replied. He was the one to pull away. “I’m sorry things aren’t the same.” 

“I didn’t come into this thinking they would be.” Steve muttered, shaking his head. Tony wasn’t sure why that hurt him so much. Maybe it was the way he said it, the bleakness in his voice.  “Doesn’t mean I don’t want them to be.” he added. For a moment Tony thought Steve might kiss him. He didn’t. He ducked his head, a chain from around his neck. It once held his dog tags, but not it held Steve’s wedding band. He took Tony’d palm and laid it there, closing his fingers around it. 

“I’d like to wear it again.” he said as he left, and Tony almost missed it, too caught up in staring down at his palm. Four years Steve’d been gone, and he’d managed to keep it. Steve had his back to him when Tony looked up looked up again.

“I’ll stay.” Tony called. Steve paused, mid step. Tension bleed from his shoulders and back.

“Thank you.” He said quietly. “I’ll let her know.”

**Author's Note:**

> I've been trying to correct the grammatical errors I missed, but every time I edit it doesn't stick. I'll do better next chapter!


End file.
